The incident cae just days after another whale washed ashore in Mumbai.
Highlights
- Sperm Whale believed to have died two days before washing up on shore
- Locals noticed the carcass at the beach and notified officials
- Last week, a 40 foot Bryde's whale washed up on Mumbai's Juhu Beach
A 33-foot sperm whale washed ashore near Podampetta off the Ganjam coast in Odisha, about 150 kilometers from Bhubaneswar,
days after a similar incident in Mumbai.
"We don't know the reason for its death. The whale might have died two days ago, and washed ashore yesterday," said Divisional Forest Officer (Berhampur) AK Behera.
"It might have died after being hit by fishing trawlers," said Professor KC Sahu of Marine Sciences Department of the Berhampur University.
The whale may have been hit a by a trawler, officials said.
Locals spotted the whale and informed the officials, said Secretary of Ganjam District Sea Turtle Protection Committee Rabindra Sahu.
Sperm whale is the largest toothed whale in the world. It can stay submerged for about 90 minutes and can dive down to 2,250 meters, officials said.
The site where the whale has washed up is also the rookery for Olive Ridley sea turtles.